Cufflinks and Claws, page 1
Table of Contents
Books by Megan Slayer
Title Page
Legal Page
Book Description
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
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Pride Publishing books by Megan Slayer
Single Books
Constant
Permanent
Vaulting
Drive my Car
We Belong Together
Finding Michael
Rogue Royal
Heart of Egypt
Must Love Dogs
The One I Want
You and Me Again
The Real Me
My Other Half
Cedarwood Pride
Home to Cedarwood
Ripples in Cedarwood
Scoring in Cedarwood
Rainbows over Cedarwood
Rocking Cedarwood
Cedarwood Manny
Together in Cedarwood
Doc Cedarwood
Finding Forever in Cedarwood
Silver Fox in Cedarwood
Cedarwood Cowboy
Christmas in Cedarwood
Second Chances in Cedarwood
Starting Over in Cedarwood
Love Me Do
Loving Summer Rain
Complicating Roy
Winning Over Harmon
Falling for Vince
Embracing James
Sugar Daddy Seeking
His Perfect Twink
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Out of Bounds: Crossing the Line
Out of Bounds: Making the Play
Aim High: Lifetime Hitch
Brothers in Arms: One Night with You
Rules of Summer: Summer Stock
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What’s his Passion?: Wild Card
Love’s Bloom: Love Next Door
Sun, Sea and…: Sun, Sea and Summer Songs
Billion Dollar Wolf
CUFFLINKS AND CLAWS
MEGAN SLAYER
Cufflinks and Claws
ISBN # 978-1-83943-263-7
©Copyright Megan Slayer 2023
Cover Art by Kelly Martin ©Copyright April 2023
Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz
Pride Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2023 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.
Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book”.
Book one in the
Billion Dollar Wolf series
It’s not impossible to have love and money, right?
Dixon Meade made his fortune buying and selling property to create a haven for his pack. He doesn’t let many in on his secret. He’d give his riches to have the one man who makes him whole, but that man has no idea Dixon isn’t just another brilliant businessman—he’s a wolf shifter. He’s also got less than forty-eight hours to claim his mate and accept his role as the alpha of his pack. The question is, will Sidney accept the various sides of Dixon?
Sidney Ayers has worked alongside Dixon Meade for the last ten years. He’s been secretly in love with him since he hired on at the brokerage firm. All he wants is to be with Dixon. When Dixon proposes marriage, Sidney can’t turn him down. There’s just the tiny matter of Dixon being a wolf.
What’s a guy to do when the man of his dreams sprouts fur and has fangs? Run the other way…or accept a forever love?
Dedication
For the Lucky Ducks
For JPZ & TPZ
For my editor, Rebecca
Chapter One
“Why am I getting signatures on a Saturday? Mr. Meade never does business on the weekend, and he always does this at his office.”
Muttering to himself, Sidney Ayers strode up to the porch of his boss Dixon Meade’s woodland retreat. He’d only been to the cabin a few times, but he loved the view of the trees. The peacefulness of the space and the woodland air cleared his lungs. He felt free here. The first time he’d stepped foot on the property, he understood why Mr. Meade would want to live here—it was idyllic. The gigantic fence was hidden by trees and incorporated into the landscape.
He knocked on the pink-ivory-wood door and waited for the butler to answer. While he waited, he admired the porch. He’d always had a thing for wraparound porches and this one was a beauty. It stretched around the entirety of the home, leaving plenty of room for a swing, chairs and making the outside another room for the house. If he had endless streams of money like his boss, he’d live in a place like this. He might never leave. Such was life as a billionaire, he supposed. The man could outfit a home in pink ivory wood—one of the most expensive types of wood on the planet.
William, the butler, opened the door. “Mr. Meade is expecting you.” He stepped aside and gestured to Sidney. “Come in.”
“Thanks.” He ventured into the house and drank in the view. So much pink ivory wood…even the overhead beams were exposed, giving the feeling of a woodland canopy. The dark green carpets cushioned his step and dulled the clunk of his shoes on the floor. He followed William to the living room and waited at the sofa. A gigantic painting of a wolf decorated the space above the fireplace. He could swear the sculptures of the wolves to match the one above the fireplace could’ve been real animals. And did he have a Monet on the wall? Christ. How much had all this luxury and rich decoration cost?
“He’ll be right out.” William nodded once. “Can I get you anything?”
“No.” He spied Mr. Meade’s dog stretched out in the sunshine. This one had to be real. He could see the fur moving as the animal breathed. “I forgot he has a dog.” He knelt to pet the dog, giving the animal a moment to sniff his fingers. “What kind of dog is this? Husky?” He’d never seen one with so much brown. Then again, the only huskies he’d ever seen were black and white. He loved the lushness of the dog’s fur and the soulfulness in his eyes. He stroked the dog’s fur. “Hi, buddy.”
“That’s a wolf,” William answered.
“You’re kidding?” he asked. “Aren’t they protected?”
“They are,” William said. “And this one was procured legally. Mr. Meade will be here shortly.” He left Sidney alone with the lupine.
“At least you’re nice company.” He continued to pet the animal. “Of course he’d have a wolf. He wouldn’t have just any dog.”
He settled on the floor and sighed. He placed his folder of papers on the table and paid the wolf his full attention. He’d never had a dog. His parents weren’t the type to have a mess in the house and pets of any kind were considered messy. Having two boys was a disaster enough. He shivered.
His parents weren’t the type of people who should’ve had kids, either. They didn’t know how to raise children and hated disorder. They didn’t understand why their boys hadn’t conformed to their desires and why Sidney had ‘turned out gay’. He hadn’t turned out. He’d been born that way—not that his parents accepted him. He could still hear his mother grumbling about not having the privilege of being a grandmother. His brother had married and had two children. Apparently that wasn’t enough.
The wolf stood, then shook before trotting over to the window and snorting. The animal then returned to Sidney and sat before him where it stared at him, unblinking.
He scratched the wolf behind the ears. “I know you don’t talk, but you’ve got the most expressive eyes. I wonder what you’re thinking about.”
The wolf stretched, then lowered its head. The fur melted away, revealing skin. The limbs shifted from lupine to human and his claws switched to fingers. The shoulders broadened into that of a man and the fur on his head shifted into human ears. A moment later, the wolf had completely shifted into a male human form. The man tipped his head and met Sidney’s gaze. “Hello, Sidney.”
“No.” Sidney shook his head. “You didn’t…it’s not possible.” No fucking w ay that wolf had just fucking shifted into his boss. Shifters weren’t a thing. They didn’t exist. He backed away from the man. “I’m dreaming.” He tried to find the exit. He’d come to a madhouse and was being shown parlor tricks. That had to be it. No, Mr. Meade wasn’t the type for parlor tricks or silliness. He’d seen the wolf shift into a man, but it wasn’t possible. Nope. Couldn’t be. Mr. Meade wouldn’t do that to him.
Christ. He was freaking out. His hands shook and he swore there wasn’t a door in the damn house. The wolf was now a man. His brain had to be messing with him.
Had to.
People didn’t turn into wolves or vice-versa.
He scrambled to the door, barely registering his surroundings. All he knew was he had to get out.
“Stop,” Dixon Meade thundered. “Just stop.”
Sidney froze. He’d heard his boss use that tone a few times, but never directed at him. “I’m sorry, sir.”
Mr. Meade grabbed a cashmere blanket from the sofa and covered his lower half with the dark blue accent piece. He tied the blanket around his midsection. “Now you know my secret.”
“I do.” He’d seen it, but still didn’t believe it. “It didn’t happen.” Couldn’t have.
“Sidney, stop.”
He hated disobeying Mr. Meade, but his brain refused to accept that a man had just shifted from a lupine form. His boss owned thousands of acres of woodlands and worked to preserve the forests. He had five homes, cars most people could only dream of owning and more money than God. He didn’t like jokes and wasn’t one for laughing. Magic wasn’t his style. That was how Sidney, who’d worked for Mr. Meade for ten years, knew his boss hadn’t truly shifted. “It’s a trick, right?”
“No.”
“Illusion?” Had to be.
“No.”
Irritation swept through him. “What did you do?”
Mr. Meade laughed. “Only three people may question me like that. My father, my brother and you.”
He’d never questioned his boss before, but the words had slipped right from his lips before he could take them back. “I’m sorry.”
“I see so much potential in you. I see a young man who is in need of an escape, but also in need of something more.” Mr. Meade’s gaze heated. “You want freedom and to be respected.”
He wasn’t sure what Mr. Meade meant. Yes, he’d worked Sidney hard, but he’d been told good work did a body good. He frowned. “Maybe I do.” He shouldn’t have such an attitude, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t like being lied to or having to deal with silliness.
“You do.” Mr. Meade gestured to the sofa. “Sit. I need to speak with you.”
“I was told to bring paperwork for you to sign. Do you still need to do that?” Sidney perched on the cushion. “Or was that a joke?”
“You’re harsh.” Mr. Meade sat across from him. “I let you in on my secret for a reason and it has nothing to do with signatures. I need you.”
He stared at his boss. For a split second, he’d felt an undercurrent of sex in Mr. Meade’s request. But why? Mr. Meade wasn’t attracted to him. He couldn’t be. Mr. Meade was calculating and plus, he wasn’t gay. Besides that, Mr. Meade wouldn’t come to his staffers for sex. It wasn’t his style. He’d find a lovely lady to decorate his arm and the men he’d kept company with jet-setted around the world with him. They were handsome, sexy and closer to his age, too. Sidney wasn’t any of those things. He was too skinny for his own good, never traveled except with his boss and was fifteen years younger than Mr. Meade.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I need you? Why I’m sitting here in a blanket at my vacation home instead of at the office? Or why I just shifted from a wolf form to this one?” Mr. Meade asked.
“It’s all occurred to me, sir.”
Mr. Meade held up his hand. “Call me Dixon. I insist.”
Right. “Dixon.” It didn’t sound right. “I don’t believe what I saw, plain and simple. None of it seems right. Did you really need those papers?”
“I do.” Dixon rested his elbows on his knees. “Sidney?”
“You’ve thrown me for a loop.” He sighed. “What do you need from me?”
“Marriage.”
He must’ve heard that wrong. “Marriage?” Dixon had to be kidding. “Why?”
“You’re not still shocked by my abilities?” Dixon chuckled. “Sid?”
“I’m overwhelmed, yes, but I don’t also see why you need to get married. And if you do, why not choose someone you love instead of rushing this?”
And picking me. There was no way Dixon loved him. They’d worked closely together for the last three years, so it made sense they’d have a bond, but not enough to get married. Beyond that, he wasn’t sure what to think about his boss shifting.
“You could buy a husband. I bet you could have a reality show find you a husband.” It’d kill him to see Dixon with someone else, but he knew his place and it wasn’t with Dixon.
“I need to hold on to my land and because marriage shows I have more power.”
“Ah, so it’s a convenience. That’s why you should get a reality show. You could buy one. You could buy a husband. I bet there’s a hundred men out there who’d dump everything to be your faux-husband.”
“It’s not that easy, nor do I want a reality show. I didn’t make my money to throw it away on something so trivial.”
“So I’m the closest available.”
“Sort of.”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea.” He had too much to wrap his head around. Jesus. He hadn’t known people could shift into animals or whatever. Craziness.
“Maybe if I explain,” Dixon said. “And wasn’t clad in a blanket.”
“That might help.” Sidney needed time to process everything that had happened, everything he’d been told. His world had changed in an instant. Shifters were real and he knew one.
Holy shit.
Dixon strode from the room long enough to rush to the bedroom to get dressed. He pulled on a pair of jeans, sans underwear, and a designer button-down, but didn’t button it. He padded barefoot back to the living room and hoped Sidney hadn’t fled the house. Right now, Dixon didn’t need to look too polished. He needed to convince Sidney not to leave and to give him a chance.
A shiver ran the length of his spine. The only way he’d keep his land he’d legally purchased was to have a mate. The magic of being mated made him stronger. He couldn’t think of a better match than Sidney, but his assistant didn’t see them as possible mates. How could he? Until a brief time ago, he hadn’t believed in shifters. Getting him to accept them as mates would be damn near impossible.
That didn’t mean Dixon wouldn’t keep trying.
He shook his head as he returned to the living room. Sid had his back to Dixon and seemed to be staring out through the bank of windows at the hill below.
Dixon swept his gaze over Sid and bit back a groan. He loved slender men and Sid fit his bill. Toned legs, strong shoulders and perfectly trim. Sid had a big heart and soft smile. He rarely raised his voice and he’d made friends with Dixon’s wolf so quickly. He hadn’t been afraid.
He stifled a whimper and the desire to wrap his arms around Sid. If he didn’t have the time constraint, he’d just haul Sid off and marry him. So he had a bit of caveman in him? His wolf had already chosen Sid.
“So you need to get married.” Sid didn’t turn around. “Why? You mentioned the land, but you purchased it. I know you did because I’ve seen the paperwork. It’s legally yours and no one can challenge it without going to court. Is that it? You’ve got to go to court?”
“I don’t have to go to court and you’re right—it’s legally mine.” He stood behind Sid, careful not to touch him. “Will you at least look at me?”
“I’m not sure I can.”
His words cut right through Dixon and his wolf howled within him. The animal wanted to mark Sid so no one else would claim him. “Please?”
“You never say please.” Sid turned around. “You must be serious.”
“I am.” He gestured to the sofa again. “Have a seat?”
Sid complied. He folded his hands on his lap. “I’m listening. Still confused, but listening.”
